The Inchree Blog: Ben Nevis Navigation Card

December 13, 2008

Ben Nevis Navigation Card - available to download

Some years ago Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team produced a laminated card that gave very useful info on how to correctly navigate off the Ben Nevis summit plateau. This was after a spate of accidents involving folk straying into dodgy ground like Five Finger Gully whilst trying to leave the plateau in bad visibility.

The card is still in circulation, however some of the info on it is now out of date - the original card describes the marker poles on the plateau that were erected to aid navigation. (They were subsequently cut down some years ago by a mystery purist who carried an angle grinder up!)

With a bit of slashing and pasting in Photoshop I've redone the card as a download, and it can now be downloaded as a PDF here.

I recommend printing it off on the best quality settings on your printer and using card rather than paper. (Epson matt heavyweight is good.) Fold it over so the writing is on the rear and then put it through a laminator on a hot setting. (Use a 120 micron-thick laminating pouch.) You'll then have a handy waterproof navigation aid to refer to.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland have also published a comprehensive leaflet, 'Navigation on Ben Nevis.' It can be viewed here.

December 13, 2008 | Permalink

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Landscapes by Cubby Images

Dave Cuthbertson (Cubby) is one of Scotland's foremost climbers, with many cutting-edge, first ascents to his credit. He was instrumental in providing Scottish climbing with something of a new face-lift in the 70's and 80's (and into the 90's)and has played a significant part in the development of modern rock and ice climbing in Glen Coe; a passion that continues to this day. Cubby makes a living as an International Mountain guide, which he combines with photography and occasionally providing safety and technical consultancy to the TV and film industry. His most recent assignment was something of a starring role in which Cubby acted as Joe Simpson's climbing double in 'Touching the Void.' and performed stunts for one of the most famous falls in climbing history. You can also view a selection of Cubby's landscape photography on the wall in our Four Seasons Pub, as well as from his website at www.cubbyimages.co.uk. NOTE: All photos are copyright © 2006 Dave Cuthbertson/Cubby Images: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. None of the images in this gallery may be reproduced or used in any way without prior written permission from Cubby Images.

Ben Nevis

The UK's highest peak lies just 10 miles north of Inchree. An inconic mountain that's steeped in pioneering mountaineering history, it attracts hundreds of thousands of walkers every year, drawn to its plateau summit. Many are tourists who just wish to ascend its easiest route, the pony track on the mountain's southern aspect. Others will tackle its north-eastern face, (the closest to an Alpine face we have in the UK) whether by a summer rock-scramble or a committing winter ice-route. Although a very small mountain in global terms (1,344 mts.) the potential savagery of the weather system that engulfs it, is what gives 'The Ben', (as it's affectionally known by locals) its sharper 'edge.' Indeed, the mountain's northern latitide, combined with its propensity to catch the full force of Atlantic fronts and northerly winds is what eventually, over the course of a long winter, creates the climbing conditions so unique to Ben Nevis. It is this individuality which gains it an international reputation within mountaineering circles.

Glencoe

Glencoe is a place rich in both natural beauty and dark history. Its foreboding mountains never fail to impress, no matter how many times the traveller may pass through the Glen. The A82 main road winds along the Glen floor, giving everyone the opportunity to saviour what is undoubtably the most spectacular Glen in all Scotland.

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